Metal-pouring ladles



April 0 H. EICKELBERG ETAL 3,567,421

METAL-POURING LADLES Filed June 6, 1968 II IMEIZW IH:

&6 i gr E Am 1 J M ma #J Ma -M United States Patent 3,507,421METAL-POURIN G LADLES Henry L. Eickelberg, Watertown, and John J. Port,Jr.,

Port Washington, Wis., assignors to Modern Equipment Company, PortWashington, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed June 6, 1968, Ser.No. 734,949

Int. Cl. B67d 5/64 US. Cl. 222-166 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREcreasing the accuracy and consistency of said pouring operation.

This invention relates to improvements in metal-pouring ladles, and moreparticularly to a novel hydraulic tilting mechanism for such ladles.

Conventional ladles employed for pouring molten metal are ordinarilyprovided with a handwheel which is turned by the operator in order tomechanically tilt the ladle when it is desired to pour molten metal intoa mold. Unfortunately, the tilting of the ladle by such manual means isnot only tedious and time-consuming, it requires conslderable physicaleffort, especially when the ladle is full of molten metal. To overcomethis shortcoming of conventional ladles, some large pouring ladles areprovided with electrical tilting mechanism designed to ease the ob ofthe operator, but such electrically-driven ladles are not entirelysatisfactory for their intended purpose. For one thing, they arerelatively expensive in construction. Further, the tilting of a ladleelectrically eliminates the sense of feel by the operator which ispresent with manually-operable ladles, and which is very important inobtaining accuracy and consistency in the pouring operation and tominimize spillage.

With the above considerations in mind, the principal objects of thepresent invention are to provide a novel hydraulically-driven ouringladle which is not only substantially less expensive than ladles havingelectric tilting means, but which hydraulic tilting mechanism provides asense of feel and control comparable to that obtained with conventionalmanually-tiltable ladles.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a novelpouring ladle having a hydraulicallydriven tilting mechanism which isassociated with and controlled by a manually-operated handweel, saidhandwheel preserving the all-imporant feel which is required foraccurate and consistent pouring, while said hydraulic power mechanismeliminates the necessity for physical effort in tilting said ladle andresults in even greater pouring accuracy than is obtained withmanually-tiltable ladles.

A further specific object of the invention is to provide amanually-controlled hydraulic ladle-tilting mechanism wherein the gearratio between said handwheel and hydraulic mechanism is such that aminimum number of turns of said wheel are required to tilt the ladle incomparison to conventional hand-operated ladles, thereby greatlyconserving time and providing increased efficiency.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved metalpouring ladle which is safer than conventional manually-operated ladles.

3,507,421 Patented Apr. 21, 1970 "ice A further object is to provide anovel hydraulic ladletilting mechanism which is self-contained withinits own frame and which can be readily used with existing handoperatedladles.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide a new andimproved metal pouring ladle which is simple in design and construction,which is economical to operate, and which is otherwise particularly welladapted for its intended purposes.

With the above and other objects in view, which other objects andadvantages will become apparent hereinafter, the invention comprises thenovel hydraulicallyactuated metal pouring ladle hereinafter described,and also any and all variations or modifications thereof as may comewithin the spirit of said invention and within the scope of the appendedclaims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein there is illustrated one preferredembodiment of the invention, and wherein the same reference numeralsdesignate the same or similar parts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the improved metalpouring ladle;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the ladle tiltingmechanism; and

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the tilting mechanism.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the numeral 11designates a conventional ladle-supporting frame or bale which isdesigned to tiltably-support a molten metal ladle 10. Said bale 11 isprovided with booking means 13 by which it can be attached to anelectrically-driven overhead conveyor or crane for transporting theladle from the melting furnace to the pouring site, and said baleincludes downwardly-extending parallel arms 12 within which alignedtrunnions 15, 16 projecting from opposite sides of the ladle 10 arerotatably journalled. Conventional bales also include a hook arm 21 forreleasably locking the ladle against rotation while it is beingtransported from the furnace, although this safety feature is notnecessary in the present invention which is especially designed toprevent the inadvertent tipping of the ladle, as will be hereinafterdescribed.

The illustrated ladle 10 is substantially cylindrical in form, beingtapered somewhat toward its lower end, and has an annular rigid collar14 from which the aforetioned trunnions 15, 16 project. It will be seenthat said trunnion-carrying collar 14 is located substantially above thevertical center point of the ladle, thus providing a pivotal axis abovethe ladle center of gravity, which is true regardless of whether saidladle is empty or full. This is an important feature of the presentinvention because it ensures that the ladle will not accidentally tip,and also ensuring that even in the event of a malfunction in thehydraulic tilting mechanism during pouring said ladle will automaticallyright itself. The result is a ladle which is much safer thanconventional ladles which are pivotal about an axis alignedapproximately with the ladle center of gravity in order to utilize theweight of the ladle during tilting. Because of the power assist providedby the hydraulic unit, however, this is not necessary in the presentinvention.

In accordance with the present invention there is welded or otherwiserigidly secured to one of the depending bale arms 12 an elongated steelmounting plate 22 which may be tapered toward its upper end, as appearsin FIG. 3. Mounted on the outer face of said plate is a U-shapedhydraulic fluid reservoir or tank 19 including a front wall 23 and upperand lower annular walls 20, 24. Said tank is provided with a closed topand formed on one side of said top is a pump mounting opening 27 andvent 28. A suitable submersible electric pump (not shown) is carried insaid mounting 27, and a similar vent 29 and plugged pump mounting 30 maybe provided in the opposite side of said tank top member. Ordinarily asingle pump is suflicient, but the auxiliary pump mounting 30 isprovided for special installations requiring dual pumps. The electricpower for said pumps can be conveniently taken from the overhead hoistor conveyor.

Secured to the mounting plate 22 within the central opening provided bythe U-shaped hydraulic fluid tank 19 is a hydraulically-driven torquemotor 18 which is cylindrical in form and which is designed to fitsnugly and substantially flush within said tank in the illustrated unit.In this respect, however, the interfitting design of said tank and motormembers merely provides a neat, compact assembly and is not a criticalfeature of the invention. A so-called torque motor of the typeillustrated is well known in the hydraulics art and comprises a pressurereaction turbine with an associated valve assembly 34 having fluid inletand outlet lines 36-39 which permit the controlled introduction of fluidinto the motor housing to rotatably drive the turbine blades therein,thereby imparting rotatable motion to the motor drive shaft 17, thefunction of which will be hereinafter seen. Other suitable tank andmotor designs could also be used, and the invention is not to be limitedin this respect. It is contemplated, for example, that in ladlesrequiring a larger-capacity hydraulic fluid tank it will be advantageousto offset said tank to one side of the motor unit. It is important,however, that the controls be located near the spout so that theoperator can closely observe the pouring operation.

The torque motor 18 in the present invention is provided with arotatable drive shaft 17 which is drivingly coupled to the trunnion 16projecting from the side of the tiltable ladle 10. Said drive shaft 17and trunnion 16 may be splined and interfitting, or other suitablecoupling and keying means provided. One of the important features of thepresent invention is that the hydraulic tilting mechanism isself-contained within its own frame and can be used with most existinghand-operated ladles, thus obtaining the advantages of said inventionwithout discarding said existing equipment. In this respect, a set screwor other suitable device is used to separably lock the interfittingmotor drive shaft 17 and ladle trunnion 16 together, and to install thetilting mechanism on an existing ladle it is merely necessary to couplesaid drive shaft onto one of the trunnions of said ladle and lock thesame in place thereon. In addition, one ladle can be similarly removedand replaced with another in the present unit if necessary.

With reference now more particularly to FIG. 2 of the drawing, mountedon and projecting outwardly from the mounting plate 22 above the fluidtank 19 and motor 18 is a horizontal supporting bracket 31 carrying arotatable shaft 32, and mounted on the outer end of said shaft is ahandwheel 33. A positive displacement hydraulic valve 34 is carried onand operatively associated with said handwheel shaft 32, and leadingfrom said valve to the opposite side of the hydraulic motor 18 and fluidtank 19 are fluid lines 36, 37, 38 and 39, said unit being so designedthat every revolution of the valve 34 will turn the torque motor apredetermined number of degrees, which can be varied to best suit theparticular installation.

In the operation of the novel hydraulic tilting mechanism comprising thepresent invention, the submersible pump within the hydraulic fluid tank19 is first actuated, and the operator manually guides theladle-supporting frame 11 to the desired position over the mold. Theoperator then turns the handwheel 33 to rotate the positive displacementvalve 34 so that hydraulic fluid from the tank 19 will be directedthrough the appropriate lines 36-39 into the desired side of the torquemotor 18, as is well known in the hydraulic art. Said motor isconventional in design, and as incoming fluid engages against arevoluble plate therein said plate is caused to turn because of thepressure differential on opposite sides thereof, thus impartingrotational movement to the drive shaft'17 on which said plate ismounted. Said motor drive shaft 17 is drivingly coupled to the ladletrunnion 16, as hereinabove described, and the rotation of said motorshaft causes a corresponding rotation of the ladle. The result is thatthrough the turning of the handwheel 33 the operator can control thehydraulic tilting of the molten metal ladle 10 during the pouringoperation.

Through the actuation of said handwheel 33 the ladle 10 can be tiltedforwardly at least from its normal, upright position so that the moltenmetal therein will flow into the mold positioned therebelow. Inaddition, said ladle is tiltable in the opposite direction from itsupright position for cleaning purposes and to allow the slag to draintherefrom, as must be done each time the ladle is emptied.

As hereinabove mentioned, one of the principal features of the presentinvention, in contrast to the electric tilting mechanisms heretoforeemployed, is that the manual control provided through the handwheel 33permits a sense of feel by the operator which is important in order toobtain accuracy and consistency in the pouring operation and to minimizespillage. Feel also allows the operator to determine if he is pouring atthe correct rate, which is important because a particular size moldshould be poured at a particular rate for the best possible casting.Moreover, and unlike conventional hand-operated ladles, the hydraulicpower assist provided by the present invention makes it unnecessary forthe operator to exert substantial physical forces in order to tilt theladle, and a minimum number of wheel turns are required. In thisrespect, a conventional manually-operated ladle of 750 lbs. molten ironcapacity ordinarily requires 70 to 80 turns of the handwheel against 30or 40 lbs. torque in order to rotate the ladle 180, while with theillustrated hydraulic mechanism the ladle can be completely rotatedthrough five revolutions of the handwheel against only 2 lbs. torqueregardless of the size of said ladle. The ratio of handwheel revolutionsto ladle movement can be varied, of course, and the invention is by nomeans to be limited in this respect.

Another important feature of the present invention is that it iscompletely safe. In this respect, fluid pressure is maintained on bothsides of the movable plate in the torque motor at all times, thuslocking the same against inadvertent movement except when the valve 34is actuated. As a result the ladle will not accidentally tip when thehandwheel 33 is not being turned by the operator. In addition, and ashereinabove mentioned, even in the event of an electric or hydraulicfailure, the location of the ladle-supporting trunnions 15, .16 abovethe ladle center of gravity in the present invention ensure that theladle will always assume an upright position. The result is a novelmolten metal ladle wherein the danger of said ladle accidentally tippingand spilling molten metal is eliminated.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be seen that the novelhydraulically-driven pouring ladle hereinabove described has numerousadvantages over the ladles heretofore employed for pouring molten metal.Principally, of course, the present invention provides a power assistwhich relieves the operator of the physical strain encountered withmanual pouring while still maintaining the important feel by theoperator, thus obtaining even greater pouring accuracy than is possiblewith said manually-tiltable ladles. In addition, the present inventionis substantially less expensive than the electric tilting mechanismssometimes used, said hydraulic unit costing only slightly more thanconventional manual gearing. It is also safer than prior ladles since itcannot accidentally tip either during transit from the melting furnaceor during the pouring operation, it can be used with existing ladles,and it is relatively simple in design and construction.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limitedor confined to a structure identical in all respects to that illustratdin the drawing and hereinabove described. In many installations it willbe advantageous to offset the handwheel 3 3 from the illustratedposition in order to ensure that the operator has a clear view of themold during the pouring operation, and many other variations in theillustrated design are possible. In short, what is intended to becovered herein is not only the novel ladle and tilting mechanismhereinabove described but also any and all modifications or variationsthereof as may come within the spirit of said invention.

What we claim is:

1. A molten metal pouring device, comprising:

a ladle-supporting frame;

a ladle tiltably carried by said frame,

said ladle being supported by a pair of aligned trunnions projectingfrom opposite sides thereof; hydraulically-actuated means on said framefor tilting said ladle,

said tilting means including a revoluble handwheel and a hydraulic motorand associated valve means with the motor drive shaft drivingly coupledto one of said ladle trunnions, whereby the tilting of said ladle iscontrolled through the revoluble movement of said hand wheel; and

a hydraulic fluid source for said ladle tilting means,

said hydraulic fluid source being in the form of a substantiallyU-shaped tank mounted in partially surrounding relation to said motor.

2. The molten metal pouring device recited in claim 1 wherein said motoris cylindrical in shape and is mounted substantially flush with saidhydraulic fluid tank.

3. The molten metal pouring device recited in claim 1 wherein saidtrunnions are positioned above the center of gravity of said ladle.

4. The molten metal pouring device recited in claim 1 wherein said motordrive shaft and ladle trunnion are separable coupled to permit thedisconnection of said ladle from said tilting means.

5. The molten metal pouring device recited in claim 1 and includingelectric pump means for pumping hydraulic fluid from said tank throughsaid valve and into said motor.

6. The molten metal pouring device recited in claim 1 and includingmeans for preventing the tilting of said ladle except in response toturning movement of said handwheel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,463,811 3/1949 Schulze 222-1663,069,855 12/1962 Denkowski et al. 60-52 X FOREIGN PATENTS 538,8766/1922 France.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner H. S. LANE, Assistant Examiner US Cl.X.R. 60-52; 222334

